Vikings stadium options include a partially retractable roof

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 11, 2012, 9:50 PM EST

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Now that the Vikings know they’re getting a new stadium, the planning is underway to determine what, exactly, that stadium will look like. And one of the features under consideration is a partially retractable roof.

Lester Bagley, who has been overseeing all of the issues related to the new stadium for the Vikings, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press that the stadium might have a roof that opens, at least part of the way.

Unfortunately for those of us who believe football is meant to be played in snow, the Vikings aren’t going to be playing under an open roof in December. But a partially open roof, some of the time, will be an option.

Does Zygi Wilf not have any idea at all how much of an advantage he’s giving up by playing in a domed stadium? What do all NFL teams hate more than anything in January? To go to NE or Green Bay or NY or Chicago or anywhere north, where the home teams generally are considered to have a big advantage. How many Super Bowls have the Vikings been to since playing indoors? The number ZERO comes to mind, whereas they went to four of them when they had that cold-field advantage – and Bud Grant wasn’t the only reason. Teams acclimated to playing in that weather had a hand in it as well. Is it really worth giving up a huge advantage like that just so you can get the take from hosting a tractor pull in January and a high school band competition in February? If I was owner of the Vikes, I’d much rather have a team PLAYING in a Super Bowl than possibly someday just playing host to two other teams playing in one on my field. I thought Zygi was smarter than that…

I’ll take it! At least for those crisp fall Minnesota afternoons. People who call Minnesotans weak for playing indoors have obviously never spent A winter there. I can’t even enjoy the 3 months of sweltering heat because I know 5 months of frozen hell is right around the corner. Please hold the comparisons to green bay, while weather is similar we are a major industrialized metropolitan area with a large population and other stuff besides football, plus it’s easier for them because of the excessive amounts of alcohol coursing through their fat bodies.

That would make sense if it was a baseball stadium. Why is there an outdoor baseball stadium in Minny? Don’t they ever plan on making it through the playoffs? Why can’t NFL and MLB play in the same buildings if it’s all public money building these things?

Super Bowl Baby. The city of Minneapolis will NEVER host a Super Bowl with an open air stadium. Even with a full retractable roof the NFL decides whether the roof shall be open or closed for playoff games. So there will be no home field advantage for the playoffs anyway.

Indoor stadium with a retractable roof is the way to go. Sure, it would be great to see the Vikes play outdoors like the old days but I’m concerned about the Vikes ability to sign FAs if the stadium’s outdoors. The players these days are a bunch of sissies and I guarantee you they don’t want to play in freezing temperatures when they could play indoors or in a warmer climate outside.

Having a roof makes economical sense. The stadium can be used year round. I love the idea of an open roof though, and hope that happens. Either way, this place should be 100 times better then the humpty dome… !!!

Playing in cold weather doesn’t guarantee you a good team. Green Bay played in cold weather for the same 25 years that the Vikings were dominating the Central division and they were terrible. If you have good players, you can win anywhere.

the open air in minnesota is already beginning to impact the Twins. If youve live here your entire life as i have, you may remember we built the dome to insure tickets would be sold in bad weather. And i believe the State the state bought in only to have a multi-use facility taht had a roof.
Zygi did in fact want an open air stadium. Although call me what you will, i have no desire to sit outside in -17 temps.
People in Green Bay do but, they take advantage of the ability to “gas up” before the game with massive tailgating areas. But lets not forget, Lambeau has a lot of indoor studio style seating areas too.